POINTS TO REMEMBER FOR IELTS EXAM

1. More is less. A very common mistake is to answer in more words than instructed. If the task says "Not more than 3 words", answering in 4 or more words will definitely cost marks.

2. Less is less. The length of a written task is crucial. When instructions mention a minimal number of words (250 for essay, 150 for report or letter), it means that any work shorter than required will be penalized.

3. Longer essay doesn't mean better mark. Another common misconception is that longer essays score better in IELTS. Not only is this a myth, but also a dangerous one. Writing a long essay can indirectly cost marks, because the chances of making mistakes increase with the number of words and sentences.

4. Changing the subject is unacceptable. Every so often a student is asked to write on topic, that he doesn't understand. To avoid the disaster of missing a whole task they decide to write on a slightly – or entirely - different topic. The sad fact is that no matter how beautiful the submitted work is, the wrong topic means zero score. Another similar pitfall is to omit parts of the given topic or ignore the guidelines in your work. Every point the topic refers to needs to be covered because the examiners will be actually counting them.

5. Good memory can get you in trouble. Having seen that the topics sometimes repeat, "smart" students with good memory decide to memorize essays. This is a terrible mistake to make because the examiners are trained to look for memorized essays and have firm instructions to disqualify such works on the spot.

6. Accent is not important. Pronunciation is.! IELTS, being a test for non-native English speakers can't penalize people for having an accent. The problem here is that not everyone knows the difference between speaking with an accent and mispronouncing the words. No matter how strong of an accent a person has, the words are to be pronounced correctly or it will cost marks.

7. It is not the ideas that are important, but the way they are described in. Many students think that expressing the wrong ideas (whether it is in essay, letter or discussion) can harm their score. The truth is that no idea can be wrong and the ideas are not important on their own, it is the way they are expressed in that important.

8. Connective words: the more is not always the better. Smart students know that one of the essay marking criteria are coherence and cohesion, and what better way is there to demonstrate cohesion than to use lots of connective words, right? Wrong. Overuse of connective words is a know problem, which is easily recognized and penalized by the examiners.

And in conclusion, a word of advice: to stay out of trouble, it is equally important to be aware of the pitfalls and to practice enough before the exam. Being familiar with the structure and the procedure of the test will build up confidence and that will reflect in your score.

TIPS FOR SPEAKING ENGLISH FLUENTLY

Rent or buy an English movie DVD

Rent or buy an English movie DVD. Put the English subtitles on. Follow the movie.
This has many advantages:
You will be able to compare the written words to the correct pronunciations.
You will get a feel of how real English sentences are formed when speaking.
You will be learning English but it will not be frustrating and boring because you will be watching a movie.

Read Internet forums of subject matter that interests you

Got to Internet forums of the subject matter that interests you. Generally most of the forums are in English language and are a great source of English input.
For those of you who are not familiar with Internet forums, these are places where people interested in a particular subject can get together and share their views and opinions about a particular subject. You can also ask specific questions to other people and they will help you out if they can. On the Internet, there are forums available about each and every subject.
Forums are a great source of information. Also in forums real people talk about real problems. Most of the information typed in forums is written in an informal way. Because of this the forums make a good source for English input. Reading forums exposes you to a lot of phrases of daily use.
When reading forums also make sure you find out the meaning of every new word or phrase you come across or the whole exercise will be useless.

Read English fiction of your choice.

Books are not costly here. You get cheap book in every nook and corner. If you want to pick up an interesting cheap English novel, go to the closest "raddi walla" (You know, the guy you sell your old daily news papers to...) They will generally also have old novels, book and magazines. These wont be good quality. They will all be second hand. But that’s okay, they will be nice and cheap. Pick up some thing that interests you. Take it home and read it. Be sure to look up all the new words you come across in the book.

Listen to the radio and TV

Our "All India Radio" has some good programs that are designed to teach English to the listener.
Besides this, there are also many different radio stations available now-a-days in the big cities. Some of these radio stations are in English. Listen to them to get a feel of the language.
Besides the radio, you could also listen to the "News In English". It’s available on a wide variety of channels. The news is a good place to get input of the English language because it is spoken in a very clear, easy to understand way.

Chat with fluent English speakers

Chat with fluent English speakers real or online. Make friends with interesting English speakers. Become pen-pals with a fluent English speaker.
While talking to them look at their lip movement for tips on how to pronounce words correctly.

IELTS QUESTIONS (JULY)

Stage 1

Introduction

Do you like watching television?
Are you satisfied with the holidays u get?
Tell me something about your hometown?
Why do you like/dislike your home town?

Stage 2

A story you have read or heard

• which is the story
• when did you hear/read it
• why did you like /dislike it

Stage 3

what do you do in your free time?
Is television interfering in the family life these days?
Is it positive or negative?
How does television help in education of adult and children?
Do youngsters these days like to watch television or go outside?

WRITING TOPIC (Task -2)

Do you think the elderly do not get enough respect in today’s world? What are some of the reasons for this?
What problems can it cause in the society?

Give relevant examples. Write at least 250 words.

5 PARAGRAPHS IN THE ESSAY

The five paragraph essay follows a defined format. The first paragraph introduces us to the thesis of the essay and directs us to the three main supporting subtopics.

The second through fourth paragraphs are all similar in format. They individually restate the subtopics, and are developed by giving supporting information.

The fifth and last paragraph restates the main thesis idea and reminds the reader of the three main supporting ideas that were developed.

All of these paragraphs are important.
The introductory paragraph is the place in which the writer introduces the reader to the topic. It is important to make this a clear and limited statement. This is where the writer grabs the reader's attention. Because of its purpose, it is often the first sentence of the paragraph. It is followed by three subtopics that develop the thesis. Between this paragraph and all paragraphs of the essay, there needs to be some kind of a transition word, phrase, or sentence.

Next, the body of the essay contains paragraphs two through four. They are all similarly constructed. Their topic sentences are restatements, often in original form, of the three supporting ideas presented in the first paragraph. The subtopic of each of the body paragraphs is again supported by three or more supporting sentences. These cement, in the reader's mind, the relevancy and relationship of each of the subtopics to the thesis statement.

Finally, the fifth paragraph is the summary paragraph. It is important to restate the thesis and three supporting ideas in an original and powerful manner as this is the last chance the writer has to convince the reader of the validity of the information presented. Because the purposes of the first and fifth paragraph are so similar that some writers construct them at the same time. They will edit them, as necessary, as they do with each and every part of the essay.

It is important to reiterate that each of the paragraphs is joined together by a transition word, phrase or sentence. Transitions help the reader to follow the flow of the logic and sequencing. All of the essay types follow this basic transition format. However, there is more latitude with the narrative essay because of its nature.
To put it more visually,

Introductory Paragraph
General Topic Sentence
Subtopic One
Subtopic Two
Subtopic Three
Transition

First Supporting Paragraph
Restate Subtopic One
First Supporting Detail or Example
Second Supporting Detail or Example
Third Supporting Detail or Example
Transition

Second Supporting Paragraph
Restate Subtopic Two
First Supporting Detail or Example
Second Supporting Detail or Example
Third Supporting Detail or Example
Transition

Third Supporting Paragraph
Restate Subtopic Three
First Supporting Detail or Example
Second Supporting Detail or Example
Third Supporting Detail or Example
Transition

Closing or Summary Paragraph
Synthesis of main topic
Synthesis of Subtopic One
Synthesis of Subtopic Two
Synthesis of Subtopic Three

OFFICIAL DO'S & DONT'S

What you must not do

Don't try and find 'best friends' among your colleagues.
Don't try and get up, close and personal with your boss.
Don't try and seek audience from the next cubicle when talking on the phone.
Don't keep ring tones of your mobile very loud when at work.
Don't peep over your colleague's shoulders to read their emails.
Don't entertain jokes that have sexual overtones.
Don't comment on people's sense of dressing.
Don't try and seek unnecessary attention by constantly talking about your achievements.

What you must do

Do reply to office mails and try to use lower cases while typing as bold letters signify a scream.
Do keep you voice low while talking.
If you have a problem that may force you to stay away from work, keep your boss in the loop.
Do congratulate a colleague on his/her achievements even if you do not approve of his/her ways. Do not forget to shut you mobile phone during meetings.

EXAM FEEDBACK(JUNE)

Stage 1
Give me your introduction.

Do you play any sports?

What is the favorite sport in your town/city

What skill you want to learn in future

Stage2
Describe a speech you heard by someone
Where did you hear it?
Who was it?
How did it affect you?

Stage3
Is it good idea to introduce sports in school?
Why do children sometime don’t like to talk
How can you persuade children to talk?

Stage1
What is your name
what do you do
what are your responsibilities at your job place
do children ride bicycles in your country
is it safe for children to ride bicycles in your place

Stage2
Describe a famous personality you would like to meet

• Who is he


• Why would you like to meet him


• What effect would it have on you

Stage 3

Do you think the privacy of famous is invaded

Is being famous negative

Part – 1

a. Are people concerned about traditions and rituals in your state?
b. What is a ritual that you perform at home?
c. How do you socialize with people?
d. What are some birds common in your state?
e. What optional mode of transport you choose if you don’t get the usual one?

Part – 2
Describe a drama you have seen
What it was
Where was the venue
How did you feel about it?
Part – 3
a. How modern drama is different from the old ones?
b. How watching a drama is different from watching a movie?
c. Why dram is not as popular as movies?
d. How acting in a drama is different from acting in a movie?

Part – 2
Describe a stage of life you struggled the most?
a. Desire is the cause of all disasters in life. What is your opinion?
b. Can all these struggles be avoided if people are more cautious?
c. How can people make their old age safer?

WIRITING TASK 2

1)EVERY GOVERNMENT HAS MADE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION FREE . DO YOU AGREE THAT UNIVERSITY EDUCATION BE MADE FREE AS WELL OR SHOULD THE FEES BE PAID BY PARENTS OR STUDENTS.?

2).PRESERVATION OF PUBLIC LIBRARY IS IS A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME IN THIS COMPUTER WORLD . DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE?

IELTS FEEDBACK (MAY)

Stage 1
Introduction

Tell about your home

Which is your best room in your house?

What can you do to improve your home?

What is the importance of sports for school children?

What will be the development in sports activities in future?

Stage 2
An activity you indulge in to maintain health
What it is
How long you have been practicing it.
How does it help?

Stage3
What can doctors do to improve health knowledge in patients?
What can teachers do to improve exercise among students?
2

• Stage 1
  
  What is your name?
  Do you work or study?
  Do you use lot of machines in you work?
  
  Stage 2
  
  Describe a stage of life which you enjoyed
  What was it
  How did you enjoy it
  Was it beneficial for you
  
  Stage 3
  
  What is the legal age of your country?
  Do you think it is appropriate?
  Is riding bicycles safe in your country?
  Do many visitors visit your place?
  What other celebrations are there in your religion other than marriage and birthdays
  Is it good to celebrate occasions like going abroad?
  
  
  
  WRITING TOPIC
  Some people consider economic success as the basis of happiness while others think so many other factors are needed. Discuss both the factors .what is your opinion?